Sharp unveils new 2015 Aquos 4K UHD line-up

Sharp has lifted the lid on its new 2015 Sharp Aquos 4K UHD line-up at CES 2015, including its new flagship TV set.

During its CES 2015 press conference, Sharp revealed several new TV lines, which will be offered in seven screen sizes.

The new flagship of the Sharp 4K UHD fleet is an 80-inch “Beyond 4K UHD TV” set, which Sharp is touting as the “highest resolution 4K Ultra HD TV available in 2015”.

The Beyond 4K UHD TV uses Sharp’s proprietary Quattron Pixel Splitting technology to achieve what is being called a “higher effective resolution rate”. It adds a yellow subpixel to the standard red, green and blue found in traditional LED panels.

Apparently this yellow subpixel along with some super-secret tech wizardry means this TV has a “167 per cent higher resolution” than competitors’ 4K panels.

Sharp has also added High Dynamic Range to create improved contrast in the new “Beyond 4K UHD TV”.

There is no pricing offered for the TV yet and it won’t arrive until late 2015.

As for the other three TV lines, there’s the Sharp Aquos UB30 with its 42.5-, 50-, 55- and 65-inch models. Prices for this 4K UHD line start at $750 (£492), and they all come with HEVC decoding for Netflix streaming, and YouTube’s preferred VP9 decoding.

Then there’s the Sharp Aquos UE30 range, which comes in 60-, 70- and 80-inch varieties. They start at $2,000 (£1312), but you’ll get Sharp’s AquoMotion 480, local dimming for improved black levels and contrast and a slimmer bezel design than the cheaper UB30 range.

The UE30 range also has Sharp’s new SmartCentral 4.0 platform, which has been improved through a partnership with Google’s new Android TV system.

Sharp also has its new UH30 series, which is one step below the new “Beyond 4K UHD TV” range. The UH30 series only comes in 70- or 80-inches, but they start at a whopping $3200 (£2100).

The UH30 series has THX Certification, touchpad remote, ultra slim bezel and also the new Smart Central 4.0 platform with Android TV.